Day of Dreams
by Ystara
Summary: This is my first fanfic and it's a work in progress. I took some liberty with this and added a couple characters from the Forgotten Realms stories. So if you like FY and Forgotten Realms, this is a must!! ^_^ If not, don't worry, it will still make se
1. Chapter One

I hope you enjoy this story! It's a work in progress, but I should have the entire story up in a couple of weeks.   
If not, it's because it's gotten really long. * sweatdrop * ^_^  
Enjoy the story and let me know what you think of it!!  
  
Quick Note: Someone mentioned to me that I should use a character named Elaith. If anyone knows who or what this character is, or where I can find out about him, Please, let me know. I'm very curious about him now. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. * pout *  
  
Chapter 1  
  
'Let's see... We take X, multiply it to the third power, then divide it by the denominator, and then plug that answer into this and...'  
  
Miaka could feel herself frown in confusion as she stared at the algebra that appeared to be mocking her. How could anyone make sense of this stuff? This is pure gibberish! This is so confusing!! She silently complained about the difficulty of her homework that her teachers seemed to enjoy piling on her.   
  
'I wish they never invented math... I wish they never invented homework... I wish... I wish I could have that chocolate cake mom made last night...'   
  
At the thought of the cake, her stomach started to growl. It had been three whole hours since she ate. She reached over and grabbed a snack bar that she snuck away to her room wanting it for such an occasion as this. As she pulled it out, her mind recalled the events of her past. Not a long past, but it felt that way for they took place a world away.   
  
She could just see the look on his face as he watched her produce the small bar of shiny material. She had hidden it in her pack the few days earlier right before she had returned to Konan for the second time. His face scrunched in total amazement as she fumbled the object in her hands. She has started to tare the foil wrapping off when he jumped up and snatched the bar away attempting to protect the foreign treasure. Before Miaka could grab it back, he was already on the other side of the room inspecting the candy bar. After scrutinizing the wrapping, a greedy smile spread across his face. "I bet this is worth two silver rio!!" Just as he was daydreaming about making a fortune, Miaka tackled him and started to tickle him. When he lost his grip on the bar, Miaka quickly grabbed it and shoved it in her mouth. Tamahome jumped up and tackled her trying to get her to cough it up. They wrestled for a few minutes until Miaka accidentally kicked him where she shouldn't have. They separated and Miaka sat and stared apologetically as Tamahome groaned and mumbled to himself where he lay in a heap on the floor. Out of breath and now with a stomach ache from eating the candy too fast, Miaka got up and walked over to him. She felt really bad about hurting him, but then, she didn't feel too bad... "I'm sorry, Tamahome, I didn't mean to hurt you... but," she smiled mischievously, "it serves you right for trying to steal candy from a helpless little girl." As she walked away with satisfaction for teaching him his lesson, her sensitive ears caught his grumbled answer, "Helpless... Yeah, right."  
  
She giggled to herself as she reflectively unwrapped the snack bar. Come to think of it, she didn't even remember if she had taken the wrapper off of the candy bar before she ate it. Maybe that's why she had such a horrible stomach ache that night. She sighed and glanced around her room reminiscing on those times she spent in Konan.   
  
Her eyes came to rest on her bookshelf where the book that started it all sat; "The Universe of the Four Gods." She reached up and gently pulled the book from its place and laid it on her desk. Her brother Keisuke had given her the book, the day after the whole ordeal ended. She had no idea of how he had come to acquire it, but thought better of it when she started to ask him. She was glad to have it. It still had the writings of her adventures in Konan with the seven seishi, and when she really missed them, she would read out of the book and she would feel as if she never left them. Her separation from them had been eased though, when she had found Taka, the reincarnation of Tamahome. While he didn't have any of the memories of his previous life, he was still the same person and Miaka was happy. Though, she often wondered how Chichiri and Tasuki were. They were the last two seishi left in Konan and deep in her heart, Miaka regretted the deaths of the other four. She was convinced that if she had acted differently, made some other choice, or not have acted so foolishly, they would all still be alive.   
  
She lifted the top cover of the book and started to read from the pages hoping to find something in it to cheer her up. As she was searching the pages, she felt a shiver run up her spine. Not knowing what was the cause of it, she continued to read thinking nothing more of it. When she turned the next page, she saw a picture of Chichiri sitting in a tree as he often did. As she studied the drawing, she noticed the lines start to move. She froze as the face of Chichiri moved to look straight at her. The features of his face were so vivid, she could make out each line of his face and his expression sent another chill up her spine, this one made her whole body tremble. She forced herself to look more closely at him. He had the same look on his face as he did when Nuriko died. But that didn't make sense to her, the writing on the other page was describing Chichiri's vigil over her as she traveled to Kutou by herself. That happened well before Nuriko died.   
  
As the picture started to move again, Miaka slammed the book shut, while stifling a scream. She picked the book up and ran out of her room towards Keisuke's. Tears were streaming down her face as she ran. She busted into his room almost tearing the door off of its hinges and made Keisuke jump sky high knocking his chair over. She landed in his arms trembling holding the book in a death grip against her chest. Confused and startled, Keisuke held her trying to calm her down. When she had finally calmed down enough to breath, she tried to tell him everything that she saw, but instead of making any sense, her words came out in a jumbled, hysterical shriek. All she could do was hold the book out to him and have him turn to the picture. Panting and crying, Miaka watched as Keisuke studied the picture.   
  
He looked up with a quizzical look on his face. "Miaka, I don't know what you are so hysterical about. There is nothing here."   
  
At this, Miaka stopped all her crying, panting, and trembling and just gawked at him. "What? But I swear I saw him move! He looked strait at me!! He looked like someone had just died!!"   
  
He looked again, "Miaka, this picture hasn't changed. Look."   
  
He turned the book so she could get a clear look at it. Sure enough, the picture looked as it always had. Nothing had changed. Chichiri was still staring off into the distance. His face wasn't even as detailed as it was a few moments before. Now she was terribly confused, and felt extremely awkward.   
"Miaka, you must have been seriously day-dreaming again, you really need to concentrate on your homework. Your finals start in two days! Maybe I should hang onto this so it doesn't distract you anymore. You always get like this when your stressed over school. I really wonder about you sometimes."   
  
"But..." Miaka started to protest, but the look on her older brother's face told her that it was no use arguing the point. "I'm sorry, Keisuke, I guess you're right. You don't have to keep the book."   
  
She took the book from his hands and retreated back to her room. 'Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just my imagination. Or maybe it was the sushi I ate for dinner.'   
  
After Miaka got back into her room, she put the book back on the shelf and prepared for bed. She was exhausted after what just happened so she knew trying to finish homework would be futile. So she changed into her sleeping clothes and climbed into bed. The past events ran through her head over and over. She just couldn't get that distraught expression of Chichiri's out of her head.   
  
'Was he trying to communicate with me? Was he trying to tell me something? Was something wrong?'   
  
Unable to make sense of things, she fell into a less then peaceful slumber.  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

Chapter 2  
  
  
Miaka woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Sluggishly she stuck a hand out to shut the thing up. She waved her hand in the air trying to find the obnoxiously loud annoyance, but not having much luck. Finally, after listening to it squeal for a couple of minutes, she looked up and punched the thing, shutting it up. She then slumped back into bed hoping to get a couple more minutes of sleep. But instead of peaceful sleep, she was interrupted by her more than bright and cheery brother.   
  
"Miaka..." he droned, "you have got to get up." He shook put a hand on her shoulder and shook her. The only response he got was, "Mrph." She was trying her best to ignore him which failed miserably when he started tickling her feet. So, purely out of reflex, she kicked him in the closest part of him available. Which just happened to be his gut. He groaned and doubled over, but fortunately, she didn't hurt him too bad. When he got over his pain, he looked up only to see her alarm clock, or what was left of it.   
  
"Miaka..." He droned again, this time with a 'you-did-something-wrong-and-mom's-gonna-kill-you' tone of voice. "This is the third clock you've destroyed this month! You can't keep doing this."   
  
He held the remains of the clock up for Miaka to see. She didn't know she had hit it that hard. The case of the thing looked like a smushed sandwich. She groaned at seeing it, she knew her mother was not going to be happy about having to buy her another clock.   
  
Keisuke set the clock down and looked at her. "You better get up, Mom's making breakfast and you can't be late to school anymore. I end up being late for class every time I have to take you." With that, he walked out the door and left her to her morning ritual.   
  
She stumbled out of bed and tried to stretch. As she stretched, every muscle seemed to scream at her. So she stopped trying. 'I should know better then to try to sleep like a pretzel.' She went to the bathroom and took a shower and then put on her school uniform after she had dried herself off. She brushed out her hair and left it down for the day. She liked it down like this. On top of the fact that Taka liked it like that, since it gave him something to play with, it made her look older and more mature. Yui always joked at her about needing all the help she could get when it comes to her looking more mature. That always got a smack out of Miaka.   
  
Miaka's musings were interrupted by her mother's shrill voice yelling, "Breakfast's ready!!" Miaka didn't need anymore persuasion, she was in the kitchen with her book bag in a minute. Miaka pigged out on her mother's food as she always did before she was rushed out the door to catch the community train.   
  
After traveling for half an hour to get to Yosu Budai Academy, she finally found her way to the front steps of the school. She was greeted by Yui who was smiling and laughing with the other girls that followed her. What followed then was what happened every morning; greetings, playful taunting, laughing, giggling, all the things that girls did on mornings like this. Just as Miaka and the other girls were about to head into the building, a familiar voice called out and caught the girls' attentions.   
  
"Miaka!" With a smile on her face, Miaka turned to see Taka running to catch up to her. "Morning Taka-san!" She reached out to him and he took her in his arms and gave her a big, breathtaking, 'I'm-gonna-absorb-you-into-my-body' bear hug. Miaka gave out a delighted squeak and smiled from ear to ear.   
  
The other girls just stared and Yui gave a bored look and rolled her eyes. "Get a room, guys." After Taka and Miaka separated, they all went inside and the school day began.   
  
The day went pretty much like every school day did; go to class, listen to a boring lecture, fight to stay awake and hope the teacher didn't call on you. Miaka did pretty well until fourth period. It was English and Miaka never did well in that class. She always had to have Yui take her through every word of her homework. So, to little surprise, Miaka started to dose off in the middle of class.   
  
"Miaka," she felt a soft touch on her shoulder. "Miaka," the voice said again. That voice... That voice sounded oddly familiar. Miaka slowly opened her sluggish eyelids to look strait into the face of Chichiri. 'Chichiri? Could it really be him?' Excitedly, Miaka snapped her arms up and snagged him into an affectionate hug. Startled, Chichiri froze for a second and then relaxed and returned the hug.   
  
"Morning, Miaka. You seem glad to see me, no da. You better get up, we have a long day ahead of us, no da." With that, he pulled from her grip and turned away.   
  
As she watched him go, she looked around at her surroundings. They were in a clearing in the middle of a lush forest. Trees were in every direction and birds and other forest creatures made pleasant sounds that could lull you to sleep. Everything seemed perfect here. The sun was shining through the leaves of the trees which caused sunbeams that lit up different spots on the forest floor. She followed one of the sunbeams and found Chichiri. He seemed to glow in the light. She watched him as he packed up the camping supplies.   
  
She started to get up when a movement over to her left caught her eye. Deep in the forest there was a strange eerie shadow that seemed to be getting bigger very fast. No, it wasn't getting bigger, it was getting closer. Miaka gave a startled cry that caught Chichiri's attention. He turned around in time to see the monstrous creature attack him and start to tear him apart. Vicious claws and teeth tore into his soft skin and Miaka could feel his blood curdling scream echo in her head. The beast ripped out Chichiri's throat and silenced him permanently. Miaka watched in horror as the beast seemed to satisfy its blood lust with the seishi's body.   
  
She gave a terrified whimper which caught the creature's attention. It looked up and locked Miaka in a death gaze. It nonchalantly threw the mangled mess of blood and gore to the side and slowly moved in her direction. It had a possessed, evil look in its dark, lifeless eyes. A sinister smile that dripped with blood slowly took possession of its face. It reached for her with a giant black hand that had six inch talons on each of its fingers. Mortified, Miaka finally found her vocal cords and let out a scream that would make dogs cry. The hand grabbed her and started to shake her violently. The beast opened its mouth and started to call her name.   
  
"Miaka! Miaka, snap out of it!!" As she stared, the vision of the beast phased out slowly and was replaced by a worried teacher. "Miaka, are you alright? I've never seen anyone act like that in my class. I'd like to think that English wasn't so scary." His false attempt to be comical eluded Miaka as she stared at the teacher with a haunted look in her eyes.   
  
Yui, who sat behind her, just giggled, "You know Miaka, if you are going to sleep in class, you might not want to take your dreams so seriously." Her callous remark was enough to bring Miaka out of her trance. She looked around only to find every pair of eyes in the class locked on her. She felt so embarrassed and her face turned a shade of red that made the kids around her snicker. At that moment, all she wanted to do was crawl under one of the floor tiles and die.   
  
The rest of the class period felt like an eternity, even though there was only five minutes left. The bell finally rang and the class busted into pandemonium. The students quickly gather their things and shuffled out of the room laughing and joking and giving Miaka amused looks.   
  
"So what were you dreaming about this time?" Yui asked with an amused look to match the other students.   
  
"I don't want to talk about it," was the only thing Miaka could come up with.   
  
It was lunch time, and she and Yui made there way through the crowd to the lunch room. Miaka was only half aware of the people around her as she was lost in her thoughts about Chichiri. 'What did all this mean? Was he going to die? What was that thing that attacked him?'  
  
Without knowing it, she went head first into Taka's chest and almost screamed at the contact. Taka grabbed her and tried to calm her down. "Take it easy, Miaka, it's just me." She looked up at him and busted into to tears. She buried her face into his chest and just sobbed uncontrollably. Taka was totally confused and didn't know what to make of it. He brought his arms around her shoulders and just held her. He looked at Yui hoping for some explanation for her strange behavior. All he got was a helpless sigh and a shrug.   
  
"She fell asleep in class again and apparently had a pretty bad nightmare." Yui had that amused look on her face still and that only confused Taka even more. He slowly rubbed Miaka's back and tried to calm her down. She was attracting a lot of attention which only added to Yui's amusement and annoyed Taka. Finally getting sick of the stares and Yui's sense of humor, or lack there of, Taka decided to take Miaka outside where there were less people and more breathing space. Miaka was completely distraught and not too interested in moving so he ended up half dragging, half carrying her out of the building. He brought her to the fountain the school had just constructed and sat her on its lip. He kneel in front of her and tried to get her to calm down. Her sobbing subsided after a couple of minutes and he was finally able to ask her what was bothering her so badly.   
  
"Miaka, talk to me. What's going on? Why are you so upset?" All she could do was stare at him. She couldn't bring herself to admit what she had seen. It all felt so real to her and she just could not get Chichiri's scream out of her head. She was so scared that what she dreamed about might actually happen. How else could she explain the picture moving in the book last night? Something was either happening to Chichiri or was going to happen to him. Tears started rolling down her face again when she realized this. She knew she had to get into the book to see him. She had to know what was going on.   
  
She felt a finger brush against her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. She looked at Taka and was lost in that concerned look that often took over Tamahome's face when he was worried about her.   
  
"Tamahome..." she whispered.   
  
Taka's face twisted in confusion. "Who is Tamahome?" he asked.   
  
She looked at him with a slightly shocked look. She had forgotten that he didn't remember anything. How could she even begin to explain what had been happening if he didn't remember everything that happened? How could she explain to him that he was Tamahome.   
  
"Miaka," he pressured, "who is Tamahome?"   
  
She looked at him, "You are, Taka." She took in a deep breath, "you are Tamahome."   
  
She got up and headed towards the front of the grounds. Taka was flabbergasted. He didn't know what to make of that. He got up and ran after her.   
  
"What do you mean, I am?" She kept walking and seemed to be off in her own world again. Taka grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "Miaka, you are really confusing me. First you collapse in my arms and cry and you won't even tell me why and now you are calling by this strange name. What is going on with you?"   
  
"You don't remember anything, do you?" He gave her a blank look and she took that as a no. "Do you remember Suzaku or Konan?" He looked at her with a thoroughly confused look.   
  
"Isn't Suzaku one of those ancient Chinese mythical creatures?"   
  
Miaka gawked. Even she thought he was more versed in history than that. "Suzaku is one of the four beast gods of ancient China. Konan was the county the worshiped him."   
  
Taka didn't know what to say. He had heard something about this. But he didn't remember where. Now that he thought about it, those name did seem familiar, like he did know then at one time. He shook his head trying to clear it. 'What am I thinking? I've never heard this stuff before. What have I got to do with a beast god?' He gave Miaka another confused look and gestured for her to continue.   
  
"There were seven warriors that were blessed by Suzaku with special abilities and were dedicated to protecting Konan and the priestess of Suzaku. They were called celestial warriors. They were identified by the special marks on their bodies, and were called by the names of those marks. There was Chiriko, Mitsukake, Chichiri, Tasuki, Nuriko, Hotohori, and Tamahome. You were once Tamahome. And I was the priestess of Suzaku. Still am, I guess." She paused for a moment to look at Taka to see how he was taking this. She could tell by the incredulous look he was giving her, he didn't quite believe her. "I have to go home. There's something I have to do and I can't stay here any longer."   
  
"You're leaving now? School isn't over yet."   
  
"Doesn't matter, I have to go." After saying that, Miaka ran off toward the train station. Taka called after her, but didn't follow. He was totally confused but wasn't about to leave school. He decided he was going to go talk to Yui and find out from her what was going on.  
  
Miaka got to the station and caught the next train that was heading towards her apartment. When she got there, there was no one home. Her mother was off at work and her brother was still at school. She went to her room and emptied out her book bag onto her bed. She pulled out various clothes and underwear and stuffed them into her pack. Then she gathered her personal items and packed those. She looked around to see what else she might need. She looked at the books she had dumped on her bed. Might as well try to study while I have the extra time. She grabbed the math book, English book, and a notebook and stuffed them in. She went to the kitchen and grabbed some snacks to take too. After finishing all her packing, she made sure everything was in order before going to the book.   
  
She pulled it off the shelf and studied it intently, remembering what had happened the night before. She wasn't sure she wanted to look at the picture again, afraid Chichiri would look at her and then get eaten. She shook her head and called herself silly for thinking that.   
  
She opened the book and turned to the same picture. Sure enough, the picture was unchanged, looking as it always did. She gripped her bag and searched through the pages. She went to every picture and found nothing unusual. Finding everything to be normal, she closed the book and clutched it to her body. She called on Suzaku to bring her to Chichiri hoping he would be there in one piece. As soon as she called Suzaku, a familiar red light surrounded her and swallowed her up. From where she was standing in her room, only the book remained.   



	3. Chapter Three

Chapter 3  
  
  
High in a tree, he overlooked the destruction and devastation left by some unknown force. The small village that once was peaceful and uneventful now lay in ruin. Cottages were burned, trees were knocked over and bodies of villagers and flock animals were everywhere. Some bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. Others were burned to a charred skeleton. There were no survivors save a couple badly injured sheep. Whatever had caused this did it without so much as a warning and left without a trace. One would think that it was an army, but by the looks of the injuries on some of the bodies, it was a giant tiger or something similar. But then, where did the fire come from? And why was there no survivors?   
  
Chichiri shook his head in total helplessness. This was the third village this week that he had found in this condition. He went to Taiitsukun after the first village was destroyed but she had little to offer. For the first time, in the length of time he had known her, she had no idea what was going on. She was furiously trying to find the cause but was coming up with nothing. When she reviewed her history recordings all that was visible of the rampage was a large flame-like entity that moved about the village. She knew that what ever it was, it was not flame-like. Something about it interfered with her powers and gave her false images. The only conclusion she could come to, was that it was a demon of some sort, though she had never encountered anything like it before. Her lack of answers was frightening to him.   
  
As Chichiri started toward his current dwelling, he turned all the facts he had gathered over in his head trying to come up with some explanation. The fact that he did not have much to turn over was not helping. He had sent word to Tasuki asking him if he had seen anything or heard anything only to hear that nothing was wrong, or out of the ordinary. Whatever was causing this, was staying in this part of the county. Chichiri decided that it was time to see if Taiitsukun had come up with anything new.   
  
Taking his kasa in his hand, he started to chant the words that would take him to Mount Taikyoku when he was interrupted by a flash of red light in the distance. Hoping it wasn't what he thought it was, he quickly headed towards it. With his kasa in one hand and his staff in the other he made his way through the trees and shrubs towards what he hoped wasn't Miaka. The last thing he needed right now was to worry about protecting her from this unknown danger. Though, part of him was hoping it was her. Not only could be able to shed some light on this mystery, she would also be some welcome company to him. But in his mind, the latter reason did not outweigh the former reason and he was dreading what he would find.  
  
Sure enough, as he neared the spot where he saw the light, he found the young girl lying in a heap on the ground, unmoving. Chichiri quickly inspected Miaka and found that she was alive, but unconscious. She looked to be unharmed but he wanted to be sure. So he put his Kasa on his head and quickly gathered the girl into his arms. After reciting the words to the teleportation spell, he found himself standing in the palace of Taiitsukun.   
While he was still holding Miaka, he placed his staff to one side and took her to one of the few bedrooms that were available for guests. Immediately after placing Miaka down in the bed, one of the Nyan-Nyans popped out of thin air and hugged Chichiri, nearly strangling him.   
  
"Its Chichiri!!" She squealed. Almost instantaneously Nyan-Nyans seemed to be coming out of the wood work wanting to see there close friend and give him their greetings. Chichiri was happy to see them but soon wanted to crawl into the wood work as they were making a big fuss over his being there. As if he didn't come there constantly. As he was about to scream at the sound of bubbling Nyan Nyans, Taiitsukun appeared out of nowhere and nearly went berserk.   
  
"SILENCE!!!!" she roared. The room seemed to freeze. Taiitsukun gave a disapproving look to the overly excited girls. Sheepishly, the Nyan-Nyans slowly disappeared back into the thin air they came out of. All but two. Taiitsukun gave an exasperated sigh and Chichiri relaxed and smoothed his clothes back out. The old creator looked at the still form of Miaka and slowly shook her head. That girl just had to show up every time something went wrong. She started to wonder if there was a connection there, but after seeing the look on Chichiri, decided there would be time to ponder on the later.   
  
"Nyan-Nyan, see to the girl," Taiitsukun commanded. After they responded with an excited, high-pitched "Hai!" the Nyan-Nyans set to work on Miaka and didn't seem to notice Taiitsukun and Chichiri leaving the room.   
  
"I know what you came here for," she remarked as they walked down the hall. Or, actually, he walked and she floated. Chichiri silently waited for her to continue. He was bracing himself for what he knew she was going to say.   
  
"I've been looking into the histories pretty intensely and I've noticed something very strange."   
  
Chichiri nearly fell over, she actually found something? He had expected her to be as empty handed as before. He knew he couldn't expect too much, but it was certainly more than he had hoped for.  
  
"It seems there was a burst of energy shortly before that thing started reeking havoc. The source of the energy is from a level of magic I have never seen before. That magic is very powerful, and very unstable. I suspect that the source of it is from another world."  
  
"Do you think it could be Miaka's world?" Chichiri asked.  
  
"No, I know it isn't. I've been searching through her world and I have not found anything that even comes close to that level of power. You see, Miaka's world is the same as this one. It is this world's future. Power like that does not just appear. If it exists on a world, it has always existed there. It just takes a person to be able to harness that power and utilize it. No, that power didn't come from our world, it came from somewhere else. The question is where."   
  
After finishing her explanation, they arrived at Taiitsukun's main viewing room and she showed Chichiri exactly what she was talking about. As the picture came up, there was nothing but a calm forest scene. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But all at once, a flash of black light came out of nowhere almost like an explosion. Then, there sat a globe of darkness. No light could penetrate it. It looked like a void of light. As Chichiri look more closely at it, he noticed a strange black figure jump out of the globe and disappear into the trees. The figure moved with lightning speed and was gone as soon as he appeared. He turned his attention back to the globe as it slowly dissipated. There stood within it, that strange flame-like entity. Just sitting there. Then, as if it just remembered itself, took off at an even faster speed in the direction of the first figure. Then, there was nothing again. Chichiri just stared at the screen for a minute, not quite believing what he had just seen. He got an odd feeling when he saw the fist figure, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, it was just odd. But the feeling he got from the second figure cried evil. Taiitsukun was right, it had to be a demon, but he knew it was nothing like anything he was familiar with.   
  
Taiitsukun watched the reactions play out on the face of the young man, knowing that by showing him this, she only raised more questions in his mind than she answered.   
  
"Did you find anymore on that first figure?" he asked after a long period of silent deliberation.   
  
"I've been looking for him, and still am. But he is obviously a master at hiding, since I haven't found anything yet."   
  
He thought some more on it and then decided it wasn't going to accomplish anything. He thanked her for the information she gave him and then excused himself. He started heading back to the room where he had left Miaka, wanting to know how she was and why she was here.  



	4. Chapter Four

Chapter 4  
  
  
Slowly, she opened her eyes, half expecting a worried brother to be starting at her wondering why she came back from school so early. She was half expecting an irate mother to be standing over her. As she opened her eyes, sunlight greeted her like a warm blanket as it lit up the entire room. She looked around rather surprised. This look like the room at Taiitsukun's palace that she stayed at a couple of times. Did she really make it here? If so, where was Chichiri? This wasn't her room, she knew that, but was she really at Taiitsukun's?  
  
"GOOD MORNING!!!"   
  
Miaka nearly fell out of the bed at the sound of the shrill, excited squeals. She looked up only to be greeted by two hyper, floating Nyan-Nyans. Her expression sank as she recognized the girls, 'Yep, I'm at Taiitsukun's.' She was about to roll over and try to ignore the girls when she heard familiar footsteps coming towards the room. Full of anticipation, she stared at the doorway, hoping it was who she thought it was. The first thing she saw was blue hair coming around the corner and that was all she needed to see. She jumped out of bed and tackled him before he could even get into the doorway.   
  
"Chichiri!!!!" She threw her arms around him and almost knocked him off his feet.   
  
When Chichiri had caught his balance again, he returned the hug, more than a little startled. He was expecting her to still be asleep.   
  
"Morning, Miaka, it's good to see you again, no da." He said into her hair, she simply refused to release the hug and he wasn't going to force her. So he just waited for her satisfy herself. What she whispered caught him completely by surprise.  
  
"Morning, Chichiri, it's good to know you're still alive."  
  
Chichiri's eyes went wide in confusion. Did she think he was dead? Was that why she was here? Deciding to ask her that later, he made it look like he didn't catch the seriousness behind that last comment.   
  
He pulled her out of the embrace so he could get a good look at her. She had a happy and relieved expression on her face, but at the same time, he could tell she was worried and upset about something.   
  
Miaka was happy to see him, safe and sound. She studied his face. At the moment, it looked more beautiful than she had remembered it being. Maybe it was because the last time she had seen it, it wasn't a face anymore. The memory of that dream she had made her shudder.   
  
The movement did not go unnoticed by the monk. A look of concern spread across his face. He was not wearing his mask, so Miaka clearly saw his emotions play out in his good eye. As she stared into his eye, the image of that beast came back into her mind. She closed her eyes and tied to shake the image out of her head. She could feel Chichiri's grip tighten on her shoulders. She looked away, not wanting to see that beast again.   
  
Chichiri brought Miaka out of the hallway and sat her back onto the bed. Miaka noted that the Nyan-Nyans were gone now and she was glad for it. She felt fingers gently cup her chin and was turned to look him in the eye.   
  
Chichiri was beyond concerned now, he studied her intently for a moment before speaking. "Miaka, what's bothering you?" His voice was gentle and loving, as she had always remembered it being. Tears started to well in her eyes. She tried not to let them, but she just couldn't stop them. She whispered his name as a tear started to roll down her cheek. How could she tell him? What would she tell him? 'You know, Chichiri, I saw a creature tear you apart yesterday, isn't that just funny...' That just didn't sit too well with her. She felt him sit beside her and before she could react, she found herself against his chest, surrounded by his arms. Chichiri held her so tight, she just felt so safe in his arms. She couldn't resist her urge to cry anymore and her tears flowed freely. She sobbed against his chest, making his shirt damp. But he didn't seem to notice, he just held her close.  
  
Thoughts seemed to race in his mind as he held her trembling body. Something had really upset her, and he knew now that it had to do with him. Did she see something? Did she see his death? He knew that had to be it, she had to have seen his death, or why was she acting like this. He wondered if it had to do with that demon creature. That thought sent an involuntary chill down his back. What a horrible way to die. Torn apart or burned like those villagers. He wasn't sure his powers were going to be strong enough to fight the thing off, and Miaka's behavior didn't reassure him any.   
  
"Miaka," he whispered, "you know about the demon, don't you."  
  
She thought about his question. It kind of startled her actually. 'The thing is real?' She sobbed harder and slowly nodded her head. The motion sent streaks of tears down his shirt. "I saw it," she managed between sobs.  
  
His heart sank. 'That was it. Great. Chichiri, old boy, your days are numbered... Wait a second, did she say she saw it?' He had to know... "Miaka, tell me what it looked like."  
  
She shuddered. She didn't want to think about what it looked like. But it sounded like it was important to Chichiri. She forced herself to see it again. The horrible thing took shape in her mind. It was more detailed than she had wanted it to be. It had that same sadistic grin on its face. She shuddered again. She felt Chichiri's arms tighten around her and she forced herself to describe it.  
  
"It looks like a giant black monster. It stood about 8 feet tall, two arms, two legs and wings that looked like they were made of leather. It had a human-like face with black, lifeless eyes. And that evil grin..." She shudder again, "that grin showed off it's huge fangs. And it had claws on its hands and feet that looked like they were over six inches long." She squirmed as the image of that beast reaching for her came back into her mind.  
  
"That's enough Miaka, thank you. That's all I needed to know." He hugged her tightly until she relaxed. She wasn't crying as much now, but her trembling became more violent. That worried Chichiri. His mind raced again. 'Black? It looked red in the recordings. But she said it had wings, it had to be the same beast. I wonder if she saw how fast that thing moved?'  
  
"Like lightening," Miaka whispered, as if she was thinking the same thing as him. "I've never seen anything move so fast"  
  
Chichiri frowned. This was not good. They had a serious problem on their hands and he didn't have the foggiest clue as to how to deal with it. And neither did Taiitsukun, for that matter. 'Now what?' He thought desperately. 'Tasuki. Fire against fire. Two against one was better odds, right? Tasuki's fire wouldn't hurt, and I'm sure he would like to see Miaka again.' With that decided. He waited till Miaka calmed down and then he went to bring his suggestion to Taiitsukun.   



	5. Chapter Five Part One

I hope you don't mind, this chapter is kinda long, so I separated it into two parts. There is a major turning point in this chapter, so please read on!!  
  
Chapter 5 Part 1  
  
It was a beautiful morning, which came as a rarity around Konan. The sun was out, only a small amount of distance separated it from the horizon. It was a bit chilly out, but the warm sunshine made the temperature seem almost perfect. Miaka was sitting behind Chichiri on the horse that Taiitsukun gave them on loan. She didn't mind sharing a horse since she felt safer when she was close to him. She looked around, studying the area around her as it went by. Chichiri kept the horse at an easy trot, not rushing the animal, but making good time. He was a little uneasy with that creature out there. With the speed that thing was capable of moving at, there was no telling where it would show up next. It would be a good three day traveling time before they reached Mount Reikaku. That amount of time made him even more nervous. And on top of everything, he just couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He didn't want to alarm Miaka, so he didn't mention it, he just kept the horse moving.   
  
Miaka's mind started to wonder as she watched the trees go by. The motion of the horse and the rhythmic sound of its hooves hitting the ground made her forget about the danger they were in. She watched as birds flew in and out of branches and saw squirrels chase each other. She turned her head to the other side and looked at the tree tops. They were swaying in the wind and their leaves rustled. As she watched them, she noticed a strange dark spot on one of the branches ahead of them. She studied it, afraid it might be that demon. But this was too small, and it didn't move, save a twitch here and there. Then the head swung around and two green eyes peered at them. When she realized what it was, she tightened her grip on Chichiri's shirt. Curious, he turned his head to regard her and noticed her looking at something rather intently. He followed her gazed and spotted the animal. He stopped the horse and looked more closely at it. He had never seen an animal like that before. It looked like a large black tiger. It stared back at him with a look of curiosity. Chichiri had never even heard of black tigers. Especially not ones that climbed trees. But that cat seemed quite content up there on that branch about twenty feet off the ground. Miaka was just mesmerized. 'Wow,' she thought, 'a black panther in China. And one that size.'   
  
"Have you ever seen anything like that?" Chichiri asked her, at a loss as to what it was that stared at him.  
  
"It's so pretty," she remarked, "I've never seen a black panther as large as that. 'Specially in China."  
  
'A black panther' he thought. Suddenly the cat exploded into motion. The sudden movement startled Chichiri. He watched as the cat quickly leapt from one branch to another with ease and grace until it disappeared. He shook his head and put the horse back into motion. He wasn't too worried about the cat, but it just seemed strange to him at the moment. With things being the way they were, a cat that out of the ordinary only added to his nervousness.   
  
The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. They stopped a couple times at brooks that they passed to water the horse and take a break for snacks and stretching. Chichiri concentrated most of his energy on scanning the area around him. He made sure there was nothing unusual to his senses out there. Sure enough, that feeling of being watched came back again. He tried to concentrate on that feeling so he could find the watcher, but wasn't having much luck. It must not have been very close. But that didn't ease his concern. He felt that presence every time he searched for it, but couldn't find it. All he could do was hope it didn't turn into anything more than just a feeling.  
  
As the sun started to dip into the horizon, Chichiri decided it was best to find a good place to set up camp. There wasn't any villages around this area, so he had to find a good clearing that had water nearby. What he found was better than he hoped for. It was a small clearing that was surrounded by trees. About fifteen feet away was a small lake that was fed by a waterfall. That waterfall being fed by a foothill that was attached to the same mountain range that held Mount Taikyoku and Mount Reikaku.   
  
He pulled the horse to a stop, dismounted and then helped Miaka down. He pulled off the supplies that they packed onto the horse and started to set up camp. Miaka decided to look around, since she had no idea how to help and it didn't look like he needed it anyhow.   
  
She wondered off toward the lake and took in the peaceful look it had. The water was blue and sparkly in the light of the setting sun. She watched as fish darted about just below the surface. She knew Chichiri would love this lake, that is, if he had his fishing pole with him. She sat down and just observed the scenery.   
  
She must have lost track of time because she heard the monk come up behind her. He was about to chastise her for disappearing like that when he noticed the fish in the water. He sized up the delicious looking morsels and then looked at Miaka. She looked back at him with a slight grin on her face. He returned the grin and then winked at her. With that he returned to the clearing. She knew he went to get his fishing pole.   
  
'Guess what we are having for dinner,' she mused at herself. A playful grin took over her lips. She silently watched as he returned with his pole. Happily, he played through his normal fishing ritual that he took so much pleasure in. After baiting the hook, he threw it into the lake and waited. He didn't have to wait long since the string almost immediately pulled taunt. Miaka watched and giggled as Chichiri pulled out fish after fish. They would eat well tonight.   
  
After returning to the clearing, they cooked the fish and then dined. Miaka must have gone through twenty of the things when Chichiri finished his third. He couldn't help but laugh at her less-than-lady-like eating habits. It had been so long since he had been with Miaka. He found that he really missed her lightheartedness and silliness. On top of that, he had never met anyone who liked fish more than he did. He found that to be very amusing.  
  
Miaka was enjoying her fish quite contentedly when she noticed that Chichiri was watching her with a reflective look in his eye. She had never seen him like that before. He looked very contented. She smiled when she noticed a wry grin take over his features. She decided to let him be since there was still more fish that demanded her undivided attention anyway.   
  
After they had both had their fill, they decided to settle in for the night. Miaka fell right to sleep with a grin on her face. That silly grin almost made her look like a child. Chichiri laughed at himself for thinking that. She was obviously no child. He noticed she was more like a woman than he remembered her being. She had mellowed out quite a bit since she left him and Tasuki here in Konan. If he had not been almost ten years older than her, he would have been jealous of Tamahome. Even despite that, he couldn't help but dwell on the 'what-ifs.' He watched her as she slept dwelling on how peaceful she looked.   
  
He sighed, he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep in this state of mind. Besides, he thought it better not to. Who knows what might happen in the middle of the night. He got up and climbed into a tree and found a high branch to settle onto. He watched Miaka through the rest of the night, unaware that sleep was settling into him as well.   
  
Chichiri awoke with a start as two sparrows fought each other beside his head. His sudden movement startled the birds and sent them flying in different directions. He looked down to see if Miaka was still there in her blankets. Sure enough, there she was. She didn't even look like she had moved.   
  
He dropped out of the tree and stretched his muscles. They ached from the precarious position he was sleeping in. He looked around and found the horse had fallen asleep next to a large oak tree. He noted that the sun was already a good distance from the horizon and thought it best that they get moving. He walked over to Miaka and gently shook her awake.  
  
"Miaka..." He called. She stirred a bit. He sighed and shook her again. "Miaka..."  
  
Slowly she opened her eyes and looked strait up at him.   
  
"Morning, Miaka, sleep well?" he asked with a whimsical gleam in his eye. "You better get up, we have a long day ahead of us." He smiled at her and then turned to start packing everything up.   
  
Miaka gave him an odd look as he walked away. Why did she suddenly get the feeling that he had said that before? Still somewhat asleep, she sat up and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She looked around and noted that everything was still very peaceful. Birds were singing and the sounds of animals filled her ears. It was an oddly pleasant sound. Yet something didn't seem quite right. She decided to ignore it as she continued to soak in the new morning. The sun was shining brightly through the tops of the trees and created sunbeams that danced on the forest floor. One sunbeam was resting over Chichiri. He seemed to glow in that light.   
  
Suddenly a sense of panic welled up in her soul. This is exactly how things looked in her dream. Instinctively, she looked over in the direction that the monster came from. There was nothing there, but she wasn't convinced. She was about to mention this to Chichiri when she noticed it. That dark spot in the distance. It seemed to be getting bigger. No, she knew better, it was getting closer. She screamed and Chichiri swung around to look at her when he saw it. It was too late. The thing swooped in and grabbed him before he could react.   
  
Miaka watched in ultimate horror as her nightmare played out before her eyes. Huge claws and fangs ripped at Chichiri's body. He screamed in pain and just as the thing was about to rip his throat out, a black blur streaked from the trees and landed on the beast. The contact caused the beast to drop Chichiri. The monk curled up in a ball and moaned in pain. Miaka ran to him and tried to help him. He was covered in blood that was pouring from the large gashes the beast gave him. As she sat beside him, she tried to stop the bleeding, but knew it wouldn't help since he was injured too badly. She looked up to see a strange looking man fight the beast off with blades that she didn't recognize. At least she thought they were blades. They were moving too fast for her to get a clear look at them. The beast shrieked in pain as those blades made contact with him time after time.   
  
After a couple minutes of this, the beast realized that he was at a disadvantage with this new adversary. So with a mighty swoop of his wings he took off into the trees like a lightning bolt and was gone. Miaka watched as it left with such incredible speed. It was gone faster than it came.   
  
Her attention was brought back to Chichiri when his body trembled. He moaned again and she was scared when she realized that he might die. Tears started to roll down her face as she looked at her injured friend. She felt a hand gently grip her shoulders. She turned around and found herself staring into deep lavender eyes. She had never seen eyes like that before.   
  
The strange man reached into a pack he had at his side and produced a small vial. She watched as he set the vial down and reached for Chichiri. Miaka, unsure of what to do, watched as the man laid the monk onto his back. A painful gasp escaped his lips as he was moved. The man pick the vial up and pulled the top off. Slowly and carefully, he reached his left hand around the seishi's neck. He then lifted his head to a slight angle and pressed the vial against his lips. He poured a small amount of liquid into Chichiri's mouth and waited while the monk swallowed it. After that, the man laid his head back down and recovered the vial. Chichiri gasped and trembled for a couple of minutes, but then relaxed as sleep over took him. Miaka was in awe, but scared at the same time. She had never seen a man like this before. She was sure he was trying to help Chichiri, but she had no idea what that liquid was supposed to do.   
  
"It's a healing elixir." He spoke as if he was reading her mind. She looked at him, startled. "He will be completely healed in a couple of hours." With that, he got up and started to walk away.  
  
"Wait," she managed, with a trembling voice.   
  
He turned and regarded her. He could tell the girl was frightened and didn't want him to leave. So he turned toward her and studied her.  
  
Miaka studied him as well. She couldn't get over how this man looked. He had ebony skin that looked darker than the night, thick white hair that hung about his shoulders, and pointed ears. Pointed ears? She had never heard of a human with pointed ears.   
  
When she realized that she was staring, she looked away not wanting to be rude.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for helping us." She managed a slight smile and then looked back at Chichiri. He was breathing easier now. It seemed as if that healing elixir was working. She was glad for it. She looked back at the man when she realized that he was studying her very intently. She suddenly felt embarrassed. She must have looked awful.   
  
Wanting to break the heavy silence, she decided it best to just introduce herself. She stood up and looked at him. He wasn't much taller than she was. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, I am Miaka Yuuki, the Priestess of Suzaku. And this is Chichiri, one of my seishi."   
  
The man gave her a quizzical look. Then he decided to return the respects. "My name is Drizzt Do'urden." He said this with a slight bow and then regarded the sleeping form again. Curious, he looked at Miaka again, "What is a seishi?"  
  
The question startled her. She thought everyone in Konan knew who the seven stars of Suzaku was. She thought everyone knew who she was. "A seishi is a celestial warrior of their respective god." She looked at him wondering if that cleared anything up in his mind. Not being able to stand it anymore, she just had to ask, "you're not from around here, are you?"  



	6. Chapter Five Part Two

Chapter 5 Part 2  
  
Drizzt looked at her for a moment, and then a slight smile curved his lips. "No, I'm not."  
He considered her for a moment, and decided he might as well explain himself.   
  
"I'm not exactly sure where I am," he began, "But I am pretty sure that I am not in my world anymore." Knowing that it would take a while to tell the girl the entire story behind his being here, he chose to settle himself on the ground beside the sleeping seishi.   
  
He was going to continue when he noticed Miaka's eyes get very wide. He followed her gaze to a spot behind him where he found his precious friend. He smiled as he looked at the great cat. He reached a hand out and the cat bumped her head against it wanting to be scritched. Drizzt more than happily complied and suddenly found himself with a lap full of contented cat. All six hundred pounds of her. He petted her affectionately and rubbed her belly while she rumbled in response.   
  
Miaka stared at the panther with wide eyes. Either she was dreaming, or that cat she and Chichiri saw earlier was this man's pet. Then she looked at Drizzt. He looked very happy with that cat in his lap. She studied him for a while and found her eyes resting on his ears again. She had never seen ears like that before. She had heard of ears like that in story books. They described man-like people with pointed ears, but usually, those stories described them as being three feet tall and living in trees. They referred to them as elves. Could this guy be an elf? She shook her head, that was just plain silly. Elves don't exist.  
  
The motion Miaka caused caught Drizzt's attention. "Is something wrong?" His voice was strong and unwavering, yet soft and gentle.   
  
Miaka looked at him and shook her head. "No, I'm just thinking." She spoke quietly and involuntarily looked at his ears again. "Are you human?" She was afraid of offending him, but she couldn't help it. She really wanted to know what he was.  
  
He chuckled. No one had ever asked him that before. He sighed. "You must not have elves around here, I presume." He looked at her. Her reaction was oddly amusing to him.   
  
"An elf?" She stared at him blankly. So he was an elf. She started to laugh at herself. 'Baka, they're just story books, what do they know about real elves anyway.'   
  
Drizzt was watching her again, he couldn't help but notice how strange this girl acted. Then he remembered that this wasn't home. Everyone must act strange here. He looked at Guenhwyvar and silently thanked her for being here with him. She was the one thing that was normal to him. The one thing he knew very well.   
  
"She's a beautiful cat." Miaka intoned. "How did you come to have her?"  
  
"Have her?"   
  
"Isn't she your pet?" She looked at the magnificent feline. Her black fur looked almost blue as it glistened in the sunlight.  
  
"She is not my pet," he said that in a very stern tone of voice. It bothered him when people regarded Guen as nothing more than a pet. "She's my companion," he clarified, "My friend. She is always there for me when I need her most, and she asks for nothing in return save companionship. She is very precious to me."   
  
As he spoke that, Guen yawned lazily and looked at Miaka. Those sapphire green eyes seemed to pierce into her soul. From the way the cat looked at her, she could swear the cat was reading her. Miaka looked away. She felt naked when that cat looked at her like that. She tried not to think about it, instead, she studied Chichiri.   
  
He was quietly resting and his wounds were almost healed. She was so scared that she would lose him. She didn't know what she would do if he died. He meant too much to her. His comforting companionship, his wisdom, his lighthearted demeanor, they way he perceived things. He was a truly remarkable guy. She was very found of him. Before she knew what she was doing, she found her fingers lightly brushing his bangs out of his face. She gently stroked the side of his face and cheek with the back of her fingers. His skin felt warm and soft. She pulled her hand back and studied him for a minute. How much did she really care for him? Did she love him? She knew that she was in love with Taka. And she knew that she was going to marry him someday. But the feelings she harbored for Chichiri were new to her. So what did she feel for him?   
  
As she studied him, his face began to twitch. His head turned toward her and his eye slowly opened. Miaka smiled as he focus on her. She was so happy that he was finally awake. He gave her a confused look and brought a hand to his face. He rubbed his face and tried to get his bearings strait. With his other arm he tried to push himself up. Waves of dizziness made him drop back onto his back. Miaka frowned at his failed attempt to get up, she wanted to help him. When she reached over to Chichiri to try to help him up, she was stopped by Drizzt.   
  
He motioned her hand away. "He is not yet completely healed, give him a few minutes. It's best not to try to rush him."   
  
The sound of another man's voice gave Chichiri a start. He looked in the direction of the voice and was even more startled. He was beginning to wonder how long he was unconscious, but then he remembered what had happened before he blacked out. And if his memories were correct, he should be dead by now. He looked at the elf sitting next to him. An elf? Last he checked, elves didn't exist except in legends. This elf must have been the first figure that Taiitsukun couldn't track down. And now, here he was. Was it him that saved Miaka? Chichiri looked at Miaka for some explanation. She looked at him and smiled.   
  
"His name is Drizzt. And yes, he did save your life." 'My life? What did she mean by my life' Chichiri finally pushed himself into a sitting position and stared intently at the newcomer. The scar on his face throbbed and he didn't know why. It hadn't ached like this since it started healing all those many years ago. He couldn't get over how out of place the dark elf looked. And that cat. This was the same cat that he and Miaka saw yesterday. At least, he thought it was yesterday. He pulled one knee up and leaned against it trying to clear his head. That's when he noticed how tattered his clothes were.   
  
'That demon sure did a number on me and this elf must have healed me. So that's what she meant by saving my life.' At that thought, an exasperated chuckle resounded in his throat. He looked at the dark elf. A thankful smile played against the monk's lips. "I'm grateful for your help, no da. And I'm grateful to you for saving Miaka's life. You must be pretty powerful to get rid of a demon like that thing."   
  
Drizzt stared at him curiously. 'Powerful? He thinks I'm powerful?' The thought made him chuckle. He motioned Guenhwyvar off of his lap and stood up. He then reached an arm down to help the monk up.   
  
Chichiri thankfully accepted and was hoisted up. The sudden motion almost made him fall over, but again, Drizzt helped him by steadying him till he regained his balance. After a moment, when the dizzy spells cleared. Chichiri made a gesture in the air and his staff magically appeared in his hand. He leaned on it for support and looked at Miaka and studied her, making sure she was alright.   
  
The sudden appearance of the staff made Drizzt reconsider the abilities of the young man. Was this man a magician? Or was he an actual wizard? He put the thought away for later consideration. He watched as Chichiri made his way to the horse. Drizzt wondered why it didn't bolt when the demon appeared.   
  
Chichiri pulled a pack out and found another set of clothes and quickly donned them. He looked at the sky when he was finished dressing. The sun was already high in the sky. He sighed and then went back to packing the rest of their things.   
  
Miaka watched him, wondering about the elixir Drizzt gave him. Only an hour before, Chichiri was dying. Now he looked as if nothing had happened. Only Mitsukake could have had that affect on someone as badly injured as he was. Miaka wondered what other things this elf was capable of. Again, her thoughts wandered to Drizzt. She studied him closer now. He was wearing a black hooded cloak and some strange type of tunic. It looked thick, so it must have been some kind of armor. His gloved hands rested easily on the hilts of his blades. She looked at those blades. They were over three feet long, broad and curved. She had seen some of the Kutou soldiers with blades like that. She remembered someone calling them scimitars.   
  
She felt something nudge her shoulder. She turned to look eye to fangs with a yawning cat. She almost soiled herself.   
  
After finishing the yawn, Guen regarded her and nudged her again. A little unsure of what the feline wanted, she reached up and stritched her behind the ear. The cat leaned into Miaka's hand obviously enjoying the attention. Miaka gladly obliged the animal for a few minutes.   
  
Drizzt watched Chichiri, extremely curious about him. It became obvious that the monk meant to continue their journey while they still had some daylight left. The ranger decided he would follow them and keep watch over them in case that demon decided to show his ugly face again. He looked around for his companion and found her in the arms of the priestess. He almost hated to interrupt their moment of bonding, but he knew it was time to get going. "Guenhwyvar," he calmly called. The cat looked at him only half interested in what the drow wanted. "Take point," Drizzt affectionately commanded. The cat regarded him for a second, got one last scritch from Miaka and then trotted away, disappearing into the trees.  
  
Miaka watched the cat curious as to what all that was about. She glanced at Drizzt looking for a reason for the dismissal of the cat. He looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes.   
  
"I believe your seishi wants to get going while there is still some daylight left. Guen and I will keep watch over you two just in case that demon comes back." He turned away and started to head for a nearby tree.   
  
"Drizzt!" Miaka called as she got up. He turned and looked at her. "We will see you again, won't we?"  
  
Drizzt gave her a warm smile. "Of course you will." He studied her for a moment while he pulled his hood over his head to shade his sensitive eyes. He turned away once more and climbed into a tree and disappeared.  
  
Miaka wondered why he covered his head, he looked like a phantom with his face concealed. She made a point to ask him about it later and walked over to Chichiri who was ready to get on their way.   
  
"Ready to go?" He watched her as she made her way towards him. She seemed to almost skip as she happily stepped up to the horse. He mounted and pulled her up behind him. Miaka settled in and put her arms around his waist and leaned against him. Chichiri didn't think much on the extra affection she seemed to be giving him. He just put the horse into an easy trot and continued on their journey to Mount Reikaku.   
  



End file.
